Hove in the Past: Holland Road, Hove

Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2020)

copyright © J.Middleton
The handsome buildings known as Gwydyr Mansions are on the west side of Holland Road – the tall shadow comes from the tower of the Baptist Church opposite

The Name

The road was named not after the country, but in honour of Lord Holland (Henry Richard Fox, 3^rd Baron) 1773-1840. He was an English Liberal statesman, and the nephew of another distinguished statesman – Charles James Fox.

It is remarkable that the name Holland Road had already been chosen by 1833, when it was mentioned in a deed of that date. Lord Holland supported the Goldsmid family in their fight for Jewish emancipation; moreover he was a close friend of Isaac Lyon Goldsmid on whose land Holland Road was laid out – having purchased the Wick Estate in 1830. It was because of Lord Holland’s special wish that Lord Melbourne conferred the title of baronet on Goldsmid.

In 1797 Lord Holland made a sensational marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth Vassal, whose marriage to Sir Godfrey Webster had recently been dissolved because of her adultery with Lord Holland. She was a brilliant hostess and Holland House became the most fashionable meeting place in London.

Development

By 1854 the road contained the Brunswick Inn plus one solitary house.

copyright © J.Middleton
The Brunswick was rebuilt in 1938 on the site of an older inn and stables.
The style of architecture is unique among Hove pubs. The photograph was taken on 3 May 2014.

During 1862 negotiations were being carried out with Francis Goldsmid as to the northern continuation of the road. The idea was to provide a straight northward continuation to the railway station – then called Hove Station, and later Holland Road Halt. The original old trackway ran from the corner of St John the Baptist’s Church and obliquely in a north-east direction.

There was never an overall plan for the lay-out of Holland Road, and in stark contrast to the symmetry of Brunswick Town, all styles of architecture and building materials are to be found. These ranged from the Brunswick Town-style of the stuccoed houses on the east side in the south to red-brick villas opposite, and from the magnificent red-brick Depository building to the white-painted synagogue with the picturesque tower of the Baptist Church striking an individual note. Houses were still being erected in the 1920s, and the Wick Estate was still selling separate plots of land for building purposes. Then the later years of the 20^th century saw some dramatic demolitions and re-building.

The 1878 Directory listed 29 properties in Holland Road, of which twelve were lodging houses or boarding houses, two were to let as furnished houses, and two were occupied by schools for ladies.

In June 1894 there were complaints from the residents concerning the deposit of fish offal and other decaying matter on the partly made-up road, or embankment adjoining the gardens between Holland Road and Salisbury Road.

In January 1900 Revd David Davies asked Hove Council to remove the hackney carriage stand in Holland Road opposite to some newly erected shops. The Council agreed and the hackney carriage stand was removed to the north side of the Palmeira Enclosure.

In 1913 Holland Road was widened.

In 1914 Parsons & Sons carried out new street works between Cromwell Road and the railway bridge. The cost was £388-7-10d.

In 1920, after the unfortunate Mrs Smith was knocked down and killed by a bus, an island refuge was constructed in the road opposite to Palmeira Stores.

Re-numbering

In April 1926 the Borough Surveyor suggested that Holland Road should be re-numbered. At that time the numbers started at the south end of the east side, and ran consecutively to Western Road, before returning for a few houses on the west side. North of Western Road, there were no numbers at all. He suggested that numbering should start at the south end, with odd numbers on the east side and even numbers on the west side.

Recent Times

On 18 July 1989 there was a freak thunderstorm, and Holland Road was badly affected. Around five inches of rain fell and as a consequence many basements flooded. One disgruntled resident stated that water rose from their ankles to chest height within the space of minutes. The water flowed from two directions – through the front doors (because of inadequate drains) and through the floorboards (when the sewer burst). Later on, a small convoy of lorries transported ruined carpets and furniture to the dump.

In August 1994 John Horman, a workman, was injured when a concrete balcony collapsed on top of him. He was taken to hospital, bur fortunately, after a couple of days he was allowed to go home.

On 3 November 1998, shortly after 8.30 a. m. a Metro was involved in a collision with another car near the Kingsway junction. The result was that the Metro shot through some railings, and teetered over a 12-ft drop to the basement of a house in Holland Road. The female driver was trapped inside the vehicle for fifteen minutes before being rescued.

In September 1999 it was reported that at a recent auction at Hove Town Hall, a semi-detached house in Holland Road fetched £201,000.

Notes on Buildings and Businesses

Amber Court – It was built in the 1990s by McCarthy & Stone as a retirement housing development and there were 45 self-contained flats with one or two bedrooms. The firm invited suggestions for a suitable name, reflecting the location and history. In December 1994 Edwina Degas of Hove and Denise Johnson of Horsham won £100 each for the name Amber Court after the unique Amber Cup discovered in the Bronze Age Barrow that once stood in Palmeira Avenue. The priceless Amber Cup can now be seen in the new Archaeology Gallery in Brighton Museum.

Audrey’s – This celebrated maker of delicious chocolates has been located at 28 Holland Road since the early 1970s. But the business was in fact founded at 88 Church Road, Hove, in around 1950, making its first appearance in Directories in 1951. Its near neighbours were Barclays Bank and Ivan’s, the photographer. Audrey’s took over the Church Road premises from an established chocolate maker called Lawlor & Hooper, who had been there since 1931, and Lawlor & Hooper had taken over from Dowling’s (chocolate specialists) who were in business from around 1920. The Holland Road premises were previously occupied by the Tatler Hotel and Tearooms.

copyright © J.Middleton
The bow window of Audrey’s was decorated with red hearts in preparation
for St Valentine’s Day when this photograph was taken

In later years Audrey’s was owned by William and Clarice Pain, professional chocolate makers. It was back in 1922 that William Pain went to work in the confectionery department of Fortnum & Mason, and he remained there until 1948. Then he and Clarice started to work for Floris Chocolates in Brewer Street, while continuing to make chocolates for Fortnum & Mason. In 1961 the Pains were supposed to have retired, but decided instead to purchase Audrey’s to keep their hand in and use their knowledge. By the time William Pain was aged 93, and still at Audrey’s, he had been supplying chocolates to Fortnum & Mason for a period of 73 years.

In 1997, although William was 93 and Clarice was 84, they still put in a few days a week at Audrey’s. They employed a staff of seventeen people, most of whom had worked there for years. However, the Pains had begun to pass on their chocolate secrets to David Burns, aged 34, who had joined Audrey’s four years previously. He had gained experience in the chocolate business by working on the continent for ten years – the difference being that those chocolates were made by machine whereas at Audrey’s the chocolates were all hand-made, plus only top ingredients were used. For example, one of Audrey’s most popular lines is the cherry brandy chocolate where top class Morello cherries from Kent are steeped in brandy for two years.

Clarice died in November 1997 at their home in Westdene – she had been working at the shop the previous day – and William died a month later. David Burns continued to run the company. In February 1998 Audrey’s had received honorary membership of the Guild of Master Craftsmen – a rare honour.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Tatler Hotel and Tearooms on the left of this photograph of Holland Road

Baptist Church – It was designed by John Wills of Derby, and the opening service took place on 29 July 1887. (For more details, please see under Holland Road Baptist Church).

Chatsworth Court – This is the name of an impressive new development off Holland Road and Davigdor Road, and reached by access road, Chatsworth Road, marked by tall pillars on either side carved with the legend ‘Alfred McAlpine Homes’. Chatsworth Court is built in a traditional style with pitched roofs and overhanging eaves; white bricks were used for the first two storeys, and red bricks for the upper storeys. The centre of the square is graced by an unusual water feature designed by David Parfitt and Jane Sybilla Fordam of Red Herring Studios. From a distance it looks as though a large, Turkish carpet has been washed and laid out (somewhat untidily) to dry. On closer inspection the ‘carpet’ turns out be a mosaic of many colours with the water rising at the top and cascading down the sides. Trees were planted around the square but in July 2001, they looked half-dead.

In April 1999 there was an advertisement for two-bedroom apartments from £99,950, while four-bedroom town houses were on offer for £215,000. The larger town houses featured huge basement rooms – large enough to host a full-size snooker table. In January 2001 luxury apartments were to let at £950 per calendar month. Such an apartment included a large lounge / dining room, two double bedrooms, a fitted kitchen, and an en-suite shower room.

The site on which Chatsworth Court was built has a somewhat complicated past. Originally, part of the site was occupied by Davigdor Road Schools. When they were demolished, it seemed likely that Sainsbury’s would build a new store there. But the scheme fell through, and Sainsbury’s opted for a site in Benfield Valley instead. In August 1989 Wimpey’s and R. Green submitted plans to build 23 houses and 95 flats, but nothing came of it. Then Brighton & Hove High School for Girls thought the land would be perfect for playing fields, but once again this came to nothing.

Dancing Academy – The Academy was situated in Rochester House, next door to Gwydyr Mansions. Edward Scott lived there, and he had his own private ballroom. In 1907 it was claimed that he was a ‘recognised authority of the art of dancing’ and ‘the Perfect Waltz imparted privately on scientific principles. Artistic, Fancy and Classical Dances taught and arranged’. Surprisingly enough, the Academy was still operating in the 1920s.

Electricity Generating Works – The site on the corner of Davigdor Road and Holland Road was purchased in 1892 for £1,215 from Sir Julian Goldsmid. The site had the advantage of being adjacent to the railway station, and so coal wagons could be run into the works, and the coal deposited straight into bunkers. By 1893 Crompton & Co had changed their minds about what machinery was necessary – the 1891 report specified the following:

5 steel Lancashire boilers (able to withstand working pressure of 160lbs)

6 steam dynamos (3 of 250hp and 3 of 100hp)

But two years later the company decided not only to have steam dynamos of the same size (250hp) but also to alter the position of chimney and flues. The whole project was expected to cost £53,103. Mr E. C. Crompton received the sum of £94-10s for his services. Alfred Gibbings was the first Electrical Engineering Assistant at the new works, earning the princely sum of £3-10s a week, but he stayed barely a year and left in July 1893. Out of 43 applicants for the post, E. F. J. Howlett was selected, but only earned £3 a week.

In November 1893 H. H. Scott, Hove Surveyor, reported that work on the generating station was proceeding apace – the chimney shaft had been completed, while the walls of the building were up to the level of the first floor windows. In January 1894 H. H. Scott reported that the floor of the battery room and its roof were finished while the walls of the boiler room were ready to receive the roof. One boiler was already in position, and the second one had arrived and would be installed shortly. In 1895 the company had another change of plan when they decided not to have Lancashire boilers after all, but would have two Babcock and Wilcox boilers instead. In 1908 Hove Council decided to erect an apparatus that cooled water for condensing purposes, but first of all they had to seek permission from the Goldsmid Estate.

copyright © J.Middleton
Sussex County Cricket Ground in 1908. Prominent in the background is the chimney completed by 1894 belonging to Hove Electricity Generating Station, which was situated on the corner of Holland Road and Davigdor Road; the coal wagons used to offload at nearby Holland Road Halt.

In 1915 the battery stand was to be renewed at a cost of £80 – it was necessary work because it had been in use for twenty years. Also in 1915 an extension was built at a cost of around £250 to accommodate the clerical staff since the old offices were inadequate. The extension was necessary because work was being carried out on the premises that formerly had been done in London. It is interesting to note that the company was now employing female clerks – no doubt due to so many men being called to the colours and serve in the First World War.

In 1922 a heavy expenditure was gloomily predicted due to increased demand from Hove residents as well as the fact they would also be supplying electricity to residents of Aldrington. A major part of the cost was to be the £4,950 for a 600kw motor generator. In the event the council was able to purchase one for £3,626 from Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company.

In a report dated November 1925 it was stated that during the last four years, the steam plant had gradually been replaced by a rotary converter plant that took its power from Brighton Corporation. Six engines and three boilers had been replaced while the steam plant left in the engine room consisted of three engines and a turbine; there were four Babcock boilers in the boiler house. The capacity of the remaining steam plant was 540kw. Remarkably, although the steam plant was over 30 years old, it still managed to rank third in efficiency out of 54 stations.

By 1928 the works had been re-built. This was because the generating station at Leighton Road had closed down, and some of the machinery was re-used here. For example, Leighton Road had a comparatively new battery and so this was installed in the old boiler room. Meanwhile, parts of the old battery were kept as spares, and the rest sold off – it was hoped that around £200 could be realised from the lead.

It is an old Hove anecdote that this part of the town was famous for the different activities carried on at the four corners and were known thus – electrification (generating station) education (Davigdor Schools) salvation (St Cuthbert’s Church) and damnation (the pub).

Gwydyr Gentlemen’s Salon

You have to descend a flight of steps to reach the salon, which was established in the 1890s, and is still in business. In 2001 it still had furnishings dating back to the 1930s.

Gwydyr Mansions

They occupy a prominent site in Rochester Gardens / Holland Road, and are an object lesson in proving that dense housing can also be attractive and interesting. Perhaps not surprisingly the mansions were designed by the well known firm of Clayton & Black, although it is a surprise to find that the promoter was a man of the cloth – Revd David Davies, the first pastor of the Holland Road Baptist Church (1887-1907).

These apartments were for rent, and originally there was room for a servant too. There was also an integral restaurant for the use of residents in the south block, and no doubt patrons were expected to dress formally when they dined there.

The restaurant was still going strong in the 1940s when it was flagged up as a suitable rest centre in an emergency, because it could seat 60 people.

By 1940 the Youngs were living in Gwydyr Mansions. On 1 September 1941 Mrs Young committed suicide by putting on her gas mask and attaching a rubber hose to the gas fire. She did this because her husband, Richard Cleveland Ross Young, was seriously ill and she could not face the prospect of watching her husband die, thus becoming a widow for the second time. It was a sad end for a very talented lady who was born in 1893 and as Vivien Chartres became a child prodigy violinist, feted all over Europe and the USA.

In 1990 the mansions contained 50 flats, and were managed by estate agents Austin Gray. In 2019 the whole west side was shrouded in scaffolding while renovations were carried out.

It is interesting to note that one of the first visitors to Brunswick Terrace in 1826 and 1827 was a certain Lord Gwydir. At the time he was Lord Great Chamberlain, and later he became Lord Willoughby de Eresby. Perhaps he too was sympathetic to the cause of Jewish emancipation as was Lord Holland.

Gwydyr Mansions - Residents of Note in 1912

Apt.1 - Major General Gordon Cavenagh, served as an interpreter to the 54^th Foot during the Indian Mutiny and the 16^th Bengal Native Infantry during the Chinese War of 1860-1861.

Apt.21 - Baron Alfred di Sant’Andrea Porcelli was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1849. His mother was Annie Sarah Macdonald of Clanranald and his father was a colonel in the Italian Army who supported Garibaldi in the unification of Italy. Baron Porcelli was a naturalised British subject and served in the Indian Army and eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Artillery. Baron Porcelli (a former Roman Catholic) was a Protestant polemic writer and published numerous works and widely circulated newspaper articles attacking the Roman Catholic Church. His lectures were popular at Hove Town Hall as well as on the Nonconformist Church preaching circuits. Porcelli made it his mission to collect evidence against Church of England's Anglo-Catholic priests who were in breach of the Public Worship Regulation Act (1874). He submitted evidence to the Bishop of London against 24 priests in the south of England, who he believed should be prosecuted under this law. The Bishop dismissed Porcelli’s evidence.

Apt.25 - Major William John McElhinny, served with the Royal Engineers in the Indian Army and took part in the 1885 Burma Expedition.

Apt.38 - Lieutenant-Colonel John Pearson, served in the 1901-1902 South Africa War (2^nd Boer War).

Apt.44 - Lady Charlotte McQueen, widow of Major-General Sir John Withers McQueen of the Indian Army and Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria 1881-1892.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
The original Hove Railway Station (Holland Road Halt) can be seen in this early Hove map, to the left is Cliftonville Railway Station (the present day Hove Railway Station)

Holland Road Halt – This was the first railway station at Hove and was later known as Holland Road Halt. It opened on 12 May 1840 and closed on 1 March 1880. However, this was not the end of the line because it re-opened on 3 September 1905 and served for another 50 years. By 1913 there were twelve coal wharfs there and there was also a deep, brick-lined well. Holland Road Halt was the only station on the south coast to retain its original timber decking. But by the 1950s business had declined to such an extent that British Rail closed Holland Road Halt on 7 May 1956.

Holland Mews – According to the 1891 Directory it was first called Lansdowne Stables because it was situated on the west side of Lansdowne Place with the entrance at Holland Road.

copyright © J.Middleton
Many of the older houses in Hove still have
these elegant cast-iron fires escapes –
this one is at the entrance to Holland Mews

No doubt the name was changed because it caused confusion with Lansdowne Mews, which was situated off 3 Farm Road.

It was thought that some of the buildings might have dated back to the time when the land formed part of Wick Farm, which once stretched from the Brighton boundary to St John’s Road. The Old Bakehouse at number 14 is of particular interest. In the 1980s, when the building was being renovated, the original structure was uncovered, which led to the supposition that the building was much older then previous thought – its original purpose being to store grain. Then from the 1940s to the 1960s this building served as a bakery for Zetland’s whose shop was in Western Road, next to the Wick pub. The bread ovens were removed in the 1970s. In September 1989 the property was on sale for £245,000, having been converted into a luxury three-bedroom house with a 20-ft lounge, separate dining room, fitted kitchen, bathroom and conservatory. In the 1990s the house still had some old tiles in front of it coloured variously red, ochre and white. There were foot-scrapers on either side of the front door, which had a stained-glass panel.

In 1890 it was reported to the Hove Commissioners that there was no proper water supply to the privy at number 11. In 1899 Mr A. Maller, veterinary surgeon, occupied number 48, and George Asserati, asphalt contractor, conducted his business from number 37 from 1920 to 1938. Apparently, there used to be a brass plaque let into the pavement near St John’s Church, advertising the Asserati business. In 1924 Giuseppe Asserati, asphalt contractor, was to be found at 7 Queen’s Square, Brighton, and he had a depot at Aldrington Basin.

Number 49 is a new cottage designed by Hove architect Robin Chandler, and built in 1985.

In April 1999 a terraced mews house was on sale for £160,000; it had three double-bedrooms, a lounge measuring 14-ft by 12-ft, and a kitchen measuring 18-ft 5-in by 9-ft 6-in.

In the 1990s the mews still had red-brick paving, although some parts were cracked or broken on the east side. Further up on the west side there was a small car park for the use of Sussex University people living in Holland Road.

Hove Magistrates’ Court

copyright © J.Middleton
It was originally called Hove Magistrates’ Court, but is now known as
Hove Trial Centre; this photograph shows the frontage in Lansdowne Road

Before work could start on this building, permission had to be sought from the Home Office because it was to be sited within 200 yards of Hove Police Station. To accommodate the new structure some houses in Holland Road and Lansdowne Road had to be demolished. The three-storey building was designed by Fitzroy Robinson & Partners; the cost was variously put at £330,621 or £380,000. On 19 November 1971 the building was officially opened by Lord Hailsham, the Lord High Chancellor. It is still in use and now known as a Hove Trial Centre.

Hove Police Station – On 11 December 1964 the Duke of Norfolk officially opened the new building. Hove Police Station had formerly occupied premises on the west side of Hove Town Hall, and had been there since 1882. The new building cost £130,000. It also provided living accommodation for unmarried policemen – this was of course in the halcyon days when such an amenity was the norm, and a married policeman with children could expect to live in a police-owned house – in the early 1960s there were still several such houses in St Andrew’s Road, Portslade, and others at Mile Oak. Local people were annoyed when due to cuts, it was decided that Hove Police Station was surplus to requirements. Today, the building is home to Hove Junior School (Holland Road). But since then Sussex Police have decided that there ought to be a visible presence at Hove after all, and since 2013 it has been possible for people to talk to a member of the police, face to face, at Hove Town Hall, during office hours.

Ice Factory – On 3 December 1908 Hove Council approved plans submitted by W. H. Duffield on behalf of Linde British Refrigeration Company. But in 1916 Hove Council approved plans for an ice store submitted by Edward Carter for the Lightfoot Refrigeration Company. The establishment was still going strong in the 1930s when it was called the Model Ice Factory, but it was still being run by Lightfoot, and a regular ice delivery was advertised. In the days before domestic refrigerators became widely available, housewives would keep their dairy products and meat cool by storing them in a special zinc-lined cupboard with a slot for a block of ice to be inserted at the top. Lightfoot Cold Stores remained there until 1962 – then it became Palmer’s Cold Stores until 1969.

Unigate later owned this site, together with Hole’s & Davigdor Dairy in Davigdor Road. In 1985 it was stated that Wyncote Developments were hoping to build 46 sheltered homes on the site. (See also Chatsworth Court).

Moss’s Gymnasium

Moss’s Gymnasium in 1909 when under the management of Percy S. Rolt

The gymnasium was erected in 1883 on the east side of Holland Road. The building was designed by architect George Fuller of Eastbourne, and built by Charles E. Kempe of 66 Western Road, Brighton. The walls were of 18-in or 14-in thickness and the floor measured 76-ft by 33-ft. There was also a gallery and a changing rooms.

Charles Hutton Moss was the proprietor, and he later became an instructor at Brighton College. Every type of athletic recreation could be indulged, including Grecian games, cycling, and tennis. It soon acquired the rather grandiose title of the Holland Road School of Arms and Gymnasium. It appears that Mr Moss invented musical rides, which proved so popular that royalty was known to visit on at least two occasions.

On 20 February 1896 the Prince of Wales, Princess Louise, and the Duke of Fife, arrived to watch a performance.

On 10 April 1896 the Duke and Duchess of York, and Mr and Mrs Reuben Sassoon watched an exhibition of fancy cycle riding by ladies, which included Mrs Edward Sassoon and Mrs Hutton Moss. According to a report ‘some exceedingly intricate and graceful figures were executed’.

In the 1907 Hove Year Book the gym was described as being under royal patronage, and there was also a claim that it had been established in 1831. The advertisement stated that Mr Moss offered private lessons to ‘Ladies and children suffering from curvature and other physical infirmities’. There were also ‘Classes in Swedish and Danish Health Exercises, Deportment, Light Gymnastics, Fencing, and every description of Musical Drilling’.

By 1907 Captain C. Hutton Moss entered into a partnership with Percy Stuart Rolt in the running of the gym. Lieutenant Percy Rolt had served in the RNVR, and was a member of the National Society of Physical Training, a certified pupil of Yukio Tani and Professor Vigny – Rolt also specialised in fencing and wrestling.

Later on, he added membership of the English Folk Dancing Society to his credentials. Rolt went on to own the building, while also running the gym with Captain F. L. Rolt who held the impressive title of Assistant Superintendent of Physical Training of the British Forces. Miss K. Cowderoy was the chief lady assistant, and she taught drill and dancing. Miss Ethel West was another female assistant who gave lessons in ballroom dancing.

The Presbyterians used to hold Sunday meetings at the gym before St Cuthbert’s Church was built.

On 31 July 1928 Percy Stuart Rolt sold the gym building and land to the trustees of the Hove Hebrew Congregation. The building was converted into a synagogue, which was consecrated on 23 February 1930.

Olympia Skating Rink – It was the largest rink outside London, and occupied buildings formerly known as the Hove Exhibition Buildings, which had been erected in 1889. It was on the west side of the road and opposite Moss’s Gymnasium. Mr J. E Butt was the owner. In August 1890 there was a spectacular fire that destroyed a large part of the building with the flames being seen as far away as North Street, Brighton. There was a loud explosion, and many people concluded that the fire was the result of a gas explosion. But Dudley Ward, the manager, explained that it was in fact the large automatic soda machine exploding. The heat shrivelled the door to the Tennis Court opposite, and blackened the gymnasium. The unfortunate bandsmen lost their instruments and the cost of all the damage was put at around £6,000. However, the management was keen to resume business as soon as possible, and announced that skating would start again at the end of September with a new pair of skates for everyone.

On Monday 29 September 1890 there was a large attendance at the Holland Road Skating Rink, according to the Brighton Standard. It was the occasion of Mr R. K. Aginton’s benefit prior to his departure for San Francisco. ‘Mr Aginton performed his daring feat of skating from the top of the building down a plank at an angle of 45 degrees amid the breathless suspense of the audience.’ The show also included a number of professional and amateur skaters, skate racing, an amusing football match on skates, and a race between a skater and a bicycle rider.

Of course, not all Hove residents enjoyed such noisy goings-on, and in October 1890 the residents of Rochester Gardens complained that the ‘noise from the band and the skating combined was very troublesome’. The Hove Commissioners were unhappy at the situation as well. Also in October 1890, Mr Valiquet, on behalf of the management, sought planning permission to re-construct around 40 feet of the building with iron sides and a wooden roof while also replacing around 30 feet of the floor. But the Hove Commissioners refused their consent because no proper plans had been submitted and besides they would never permit a wooden roof.

In October 1890 two petitions to save the skating rink were sent to the Hove Commissioners to no avail. One was signed by 612 residents and visitors to Hove and pleaded for the rink to be allowed to continue until the end of March because ‘it affords amusement and recreation of an innocent and healthful nature’. The second petition came from Brighton residents with 392 signatures. Hove Commissioners informed Mr Valiquet that the temporary building must be pulled down by the 1 February 1891 without fail.

Palmeira Stores – Please see under Western Road.

Pickford’s

In 1893 a magnificent warehouse designed by Thomas Lainson & Son was erected for the Brighton & Hove Co-operative Supply Association. It was built of red brick with terracotta dressings and ornaments, and a charming steeply-pitched mansard roof with slate tiles, embellished with wrought-iron parapets.

copyright © J.Middleton
This photograph shows a strange male head
below the roof-linein the centre of the tower

There is a courtyard behind the impressive gateway; the vast doors, somewhat reminiscent of prison gates, it must be said, each have 35 solid wooden panels with studding.

Above them are four lines of decorative iron panels with a Tudor rose at the centre of a St Andrew’s cross, ascending into the curve of the arch. The design refers to Hove’s earlier coat-of-arms that featured a St Andrew’s cross (saltire). The design is repeated in a terracotta panel, which also displays the dolphins of Brighton’s coat-of-arms. High up on the building there is a male head, perhaps wearing a helmet Along the frontage there is a 5-ft solid and decorative iron railing. Not surprisingly, this unique structure became a Grade II listed building on 31 May 1974.

Pickford’s took over the building in 1958, and retained ownership for almost 30 years. In 1986 Pickford’s stated they would be moving to Horsham, and were waiting for the right offer for the building, which was said to be worth £350,000. By 1990 Abbey Self-Storage owned the building.

The idea of self-storage originated in the USA, and has since become popular in this country. It works on the same principal as a bank deposit box but on a much larger scale of course. Units ranged from 16-sq-ft to 200-sq-ft, and at any one time 90 percent of the storage space was in use. In January 1990 the average monthly rent was 90 pence per sq-ft on the ground floor, but rents were cheaper on the higher floors. The building was Abbey Self-Storage’s only warehouse in Sussex, but they were looking for other sites. By 2001 the building was occupied by Access Storage Solutions.

Rayner Optical Company – The company was founded by John Baptiste Reiner and Charles Davis Keeler who in 1910 opened their first optician’s shop in London. The company was registered as Reiner & Keeler initially, but in 1915 it was changed to Rayner & Keeler, no doubt to mitigate any anti-German sentiment that ‘Reiner’ might attract. But Mr Reiner kept his surname and later served as a Brighton councillor for many years. Mr Keeler resigned in 1917 and thus the firm became the Rayner Optical Company the following year.

In May 1918 the company leased 15 Arundel Terrace, Brighton, as a workshop for spectacle prescription glazing. But almost immediately the Ministry of Munitions took over to manufacture optical instruments. Strange as it might seem, this turned out to be a bonus for the company in the long run. This was because the expertise gained in manufacturing optical instruments was retained in a separate department, and some 30 years later Rayner was at the forefront in the development of the first intra-ocular lens. Meanwhile, the rest of the workforce reverted to prescription work for the growing number of company branches. From 1939 to 1991 Rayner Optical was located on a corner site at Lorna Road / Holland Road – with an entrance from both roads.

The Second World War had great significance for Rayner Optical because of the observations of a military surgeon, Harold Ridley, late ophthalmologist at St Thomas’s Hospital and Moorfields Hospital, London. He noticed that when air crew had been subjected to gunfire that shattered the canopies covering the cockpit or gunnery position, their eyes were not always as badly damaged by penetrating fragments as might be expected. Indeed, unless a fragment harmed the sensitive portion of the eye, the tissue reaction to the foreign body was insignificant. The canopies were made of Perspex (polymethyl methacrylate) and thus when Mr Ridley began to think about an artificial lens, he thought that Perspex might be the solution. Meanwhile, ICI had moved on to post-war production, but in response to Mr Ridley’s request, they once again produced the high-quality fighter-aircraft Perspex called Transpex 1. In 1948 Mr Ridley had a private meeting with John Pike of Rayner’s to discuss the project, and to design and manufacture an implantable lens. In 1949 the very first IOL was produced at Hove. Ridley hoped to keep this important breakthrough quiet for the time being, but perhaps inevitably news leaked out. In 1951 Mr Ridley delivered his first paper on the subject. Unhappily, instead of the support he hoped for, his paper was met with hostility. However, Rayner Optical began to supply lenses to surgeons worldwide, and in 1954 Rayner made available the first technical data sheet. The lens cost one guinea. By 1960 Rayner was making 42 different IOL designs, while in 1975 Rayner developed the first of the modern posterior chamber lens designs.

Len Rolfe, engineer, joined the company in the 1920s and manufactured the first lenses. In 1956 he was joined at Rayner’s by his nephew John Ingham who went on to become production manager in the 1980s.

In 1978 the IOL department moved to its own building in Wilbury Villas, becoming a subsidiary company (Rayner Intraocular Lenses) within the Rayner Group. This was not the last move because in 1986 it transferred to a purpose-built manufacturing site on the Sackville Trading estate., which contained a specialist area in which to sterilise lenses. In January 1989 Rayner transferred spectacle-making from Hove to Leeds with the result that 30 people were made redundant. By 1990 some 75% of the sterile lens production was exported to over 40 countries. At the Hove site in 1999 Rayner still employed 70 people, and Rayner had 121 optical practices in the UK.

The year 1999 was an important anniversary year for Rayner’s because it was now 50 years since the first IOL was made. The company presented Mr Ridley with a silver plaque engraved with the following inscription, ‘Presented to Mr Harold Ridley by Arthur Swain, chairman of Rayner, to mark the 50^th anniversary of his completing the cure of cataract at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, 29 March 1949.’

In November 1999 it was reported that Rayner was working on a shape-recovery lens, and moreover had managed to remain an independent company.

St Cuthbert’s Church – The foundation stone was laid in 1903 and the church was opened on 3 April 1912. It was designed by the architect Edmund Proctor in red brick with terracotta details. The elegant spire became a landmark. It was a Presbyterian church, and there was a Literary Society that flourished from the 1930s to at least the 1950s. Many notable people were invited to lecture, including a member of the victorious British team that conquered Mount Everest in 1953. In 1980 the congregation of St Cuthbert’s and the Cliftonville Congregational Church merged to become the United Reformed Church, and a vote decided that St Cuthbert’s should be demolished. In 1986 it was stated that the new development on the site at 124 Holland Road would be known as Bell Mead.

Synagogue

The Hove New Synagogue and Religious Classes was founded in 1927, with Mr Louis Woolf Frankel being one of the prime movers. Indeed, preliminary meetings took place at his residence, 13 Brunswick Terrace. For the first few years services were held at the Little Vic Theatre, in St Margaret’s Place, Brighton. Then on 31 July 1928 the trustees of the congregation purchased from Percy Stuart Rolt, the land and structure formerly known as Moss’s Gymnasium for £5,500. The first trustees were as follows:

Woolf Bilmes (who died in 1954)

Abraham Gould

Louis Woolf Frankel (who died in 1959)

First of all permission had to be obtained from the trustees of the Goldsmid Estate for a change of use. On 9 June 1929 the Chief Rabbi, Revd Dr J. H. Hertz, laid the foundation stone of the new synagogue. Four additional stones and a memorial stone were also laid, but only the Chief Rabbi’s stone plus two others survive today. The architect was Mr M. K. Glass from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the builders were J. Parsons & Son, while the well known firm of Cox & Barnard was responsible for the stained glass windows. On 23 February 1930 the synagogue was consecrated. On 12 May 1935 there was a special Jubilee Thanksgiving service when two tablets bearing prayers for King George V and Queen Mary, plus other members of the Royal Family, one in Hebrew, the other in English, were unveiled on the east wall. Phillips & Son of Brighton designed them, and they were the gift of Mr and Mrs Gregory Wischniak of Paris. Mr Wischniak was one of the founders of the Hove synagogue. In the evening there was a special dinner to mark the occasion at 13 Brunswick Terrace.

According to the Sussex Daily News (16 July 1938) women wept openly in the synagogue when Rabbi B. Wilmer detailed the cruelties endured by Jews on the continent. He said, ‘Slowly dark clouds are gathering over the face of the world. This little island, strong in democracy, is left on the stormy ocean of dictatorship, which is Europe, and slowly the lamps of civilization are being dimmed, broken or totally extinguished. Always when civilization takes a step backward it is the Jew who suffers first. He is the barometer of civilization, the everlasting scapegoat of political uncertainty and economic depression.’ The Rabbi concluded his address by thanking those generous Christians who had protested about the harsh treatment suffered by Jews, and in particular the Right Rev Dr Bell, Bishop of Chichester.

On 1 November 1951 Thomas Tilling Ltd sold some land adjoining the synagogue for £6,000 to the synagogue trustees, and once again the Goldsmid Estate modified the restrictive covenants on the property.

Revd Kalman Fausner retired at the age of 78 and his final service was held on 29 August 1987. He came to Britain in the 1930s, and joined the Hove Hebrew Congregation. In 1933 he became Cantor at Holland Road Synagogue, and continued to sing for a period of 54 years. He said he had lost count of the number of weddings, funerals, and bar-mitzvahs he had attended. He lived in Addison Road.

In 2011 Rabbi Pesach Efune celebrated his 50^th birthday. His wife Penina came up with a wonderful gift to mark the occasion. But it required some forethought because it took a whole year to produce; it was a handwritten Safer Torah – the sacred scroll containing the five books of Moses on 54 pieces of parchment. Before the scroll reached the synagogue, it was ceremoniously paraded through the streets starting out from Wavertree House, and accompanied by flaming torches, music and dancing. (Argus 23/6/12)

Tennis Courts / Putative Cinema– Mr F. Druve owned the tennis courts, which were in use from the 1880s. In 1889 Mr Druce asked the Hove Commissioners if the footpath in front of the tennis court might be paved and the surveyor replied that he would prepare an estimate. It appears that initially there was just one lawn tennis court but later on some indoor courts were constructed. The tennis courts were situated on the east side of the road, next door to Moss’s Gymnasium and opposite the Olympia Skating Rink. When the latter building caught fire, the heat was so fierce that the door to the tennis courts was blackened.

From 1905 Lewis Woolf was keen to to find an alternative use for the site. (It is interesting to note that a Louis Woolf Frankel was one of the first trustees of the synagogue). In July 1905 Lewis Woolf wanted to build a theatre there. Hove Council were interested in the idea but naturally wanted to see the plans first of all, and these were approved on 3 August 1905. But it appears nothing happened. Then in 1913 Lewis Woolf came up with another project – this time it was to be a cinema and a concert hall. The plans were passed on 4 September 1913 and the structure was actually built. Mr Woolf applied for a cinematograph exhibition licence, and the Borough Surveyor went along to inspect the building. He reported that the building was 113-ft in length, and 50-ft wide. The principal entrance was near the south end, and there were two exits into Holland Road, and two exits on the east side into the yard. As regards the seating arrangements, there were two longitudinal side gangways with a width of 4-ft, plus one central gangway of 3-ft. In front of the platform there was a cross-gangway measuring 8-ft wide, and there was another at the rear of the seats measuring 4-ft 6-in wide. The Borough Surveyor considered that there ought to be a central cross-gangway, and that the central gangway should be 4-ft instead of 3-ft wide. It is not surprising that the authorities were nervous about the safety arrangements because early films were a recognised fire hazard, and thus enough space and exits were a vital necessity to prevent loss of life in the event of a fire. Consequently, the cinematograph licence was refused until such time as the measures recommended by the Borough Surveyor had been carried out. Perhaps Mr Woolf lost heart in this enterprise because it seems the cinema never became operational. Instead, the building was used as a shooting range until Tilling’s, the bus company, leased it.

Tilling’s – By the time Tilling’s leased the building – formerly a shooting range / a putative cinema / and tennis courts – it was known as 77 Holland Road. In March 1915 Tilling’s stated that they intended to convert the building into a garage for motor buses, as well as a place to store petrol on the site. Tilling’s tenure was short-lived because in 1916 they bought out their rival bus company for £44,000 and removed their scene of operations to Conway Street, which had been their former rival’s old depot. Tilling’s, along with other bus companies, was nationalised in 1947.

Meanwhile, the premises at Holland Road remained in operation as a place from which to hire horses, or trade horses, plus buses and cars, while wedding carriages were a speciality. By the 1940s the building was known as the Holland Road Coachworks. However, on 28 March 1945 the building was gutted by fire, and it was not re-built, the business having found space in Conway Street.

Wick Studio

On 7 February 1895 Hove Council granted consent to the plans presented by the well known local architects, Clayton & Black, on behalf of Colonel Charles Robert Charles Goff (1837-1922). It was a somewhat unusual request perhaps for a man with a military background but Goff had the distinction of being an excellent amateur artist, and he wished to have his own studio. (For more details of his life, please see under Adelaide Crescent, House Notes, Number 15).

In August 1898 alterations to the studio were passed. But Goff was not done with improvements yet because in 1907 living accommodation (now known as 2 Holland Road) was added to the south side of the studio (now known as 4 Holland Road). In 1912 a further extension, including a kitchen and scullery was added to the living accommodation (the bungalow now being known as 2A Holland Road). This building spree could rightly be called a complex because it is all rather confusing, but the original plans can be seen at The Keep. (Information about the extensions kindly supplied by Clive Bolton).

copyright © H. Smith copyright © J.Middleton
Colonel Goff made this etching of Holland Road. right-this photograph shows the little turret on the corner of Holland Road, visible in Goff’s etching

"Farm Study" by Robert Charles Goff

After Colonel Goff’s death, Wick Studio continued to be used by artists, and in particular the Hudson sisters, Gwynedd and Dorothy. It is interesting to note that their father also had a military background – Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Hudson, who later lived in Tisbury Road. The sisters used the Wick Studio in which to give art classes, but they were also willing to give private lessons. This cost five shillings an hour if held at Wick Studio, or 7/6d an hour if held at the student’s house. The sisters offered a wide range of topics including drawing, painting, design, embroidery, illuminating, dress design, book design and book illustrations. Gwynedd Hudson was the better known sister, and she provided the illustrations for several books – one being Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She also executed some poster work for the London Underground. From 19 April to 18 May 1916 an exhibition was held at Hove Library featuring the decorative drawings and book illustrations done by both sisters – the exhibition was visited by 2,650 people. Indeed, a wonderful painting by Gwynedd Hudson is still to be seen at Hove Library to this day. It is situated above the door in the Wolseley Room and depicts The Spirit of Agriculture. In recent years it has been carefully restored. Gwynedd died in 1932 and Dorothy died in 1935.

The bungalow (2A Holland Road) was described as Hove’s tiniest bungalow when it came up for auction on 23 June 1994 with a price guide of £45,000. The lounge measured 14-ft by 11-ft, the kitchen was 5-ft 9-in by 7-ft 1-in; the bathroom was small while the bedroom was situated in the house next door and reached by a corridor.

House Notes

Numbers 11 / 12 – In 1878 Mrs Moor ran a ladies’ school on these premises (before re-numbering).

Numbers 17 / 18 – In 1878 the Misses Smith ran a ladies’ school on these premises (before re-numbering)

Number 23 – In 1940 the premises were called Holland House, and it was a private hotel run by Mrs L. M. Beadnell.

Number 26 – In 1889 the premises were occupied by Mr E. Butcher, trunk, portmanteau, and wicker warehouse (before re-numbering).

Numbers 26 / 28– (after re-numbering) In 1974 the premises were called the Tatler Guest House, and next door at number 28 was the Tatler Tea Rooms. In 1985 the Hove Bystander Restaurant opened at number 26 – Mile Riley was the restaurant manager, while Steven Gould was the chef. In the early 1970s number 28 became Audrey’s, the celebrated maker of fine chocolates.

Number 31 – In the 1920s Thomas Tendron Jeans lived in this house. He was the writer of Naval adventure stories and his works included the following:

Mr Midshipman Glover RN (1909)

John Graham, sub-lieutenant (1913)

The Gun Runners (1928)

Number 38 – John T. Cobbold described himself as a ‘physical culturist’ and during the 1920s he ran his own business here called Cobbold’s West End Gym. It is interesting to note that in 1974 there was still a Cobbold’s Gym in the building.

Numbers 43 / 45 – In the 1920s Miss Elkington, matron, was in charge of the Holland Road Medical and Surgical Nursing Home situated in these premises.

Numbers 46 – This building was constructed in the 1920s and housed the Hove Telephone Exchange. In 1993 it was stated that for the previous 30 years the social clubs of British Telecom and the Civil Services had occupied the premises. In July 1993 British Telecom put the building up for sale, and invited offers above £130,000. By February 1994 developers were planning to convert the structure into 20 self-contained flats.

Numbers 47 /49 – In 1940 Mr J. C. W. Sellers ran the two houses as a private hotel called Hughenden. Perhaps Mr Sellers was an admirer of Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British statesman and novelist who was buried at Hughenden, near High Wycombe. A famous quote of Disraeli’s is ‘Read no history, nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.’

Numbers 50 / 52 – In the 1960s it was stated that Hove Council might have to issue a compulsory purchase order on the houses, if the District Valuer and the owners could not agree on a price for the properties, which needed to be demolished to make way for the construction of Hove Magistrates’ Court.

Number 73 – This is an extraordinary site for a domestic dwelling, sandwiched as it is between the red-brick old Pickford’s Warehouse, and the austere, pale stone of the Baptist enclave. But the house is not overawed by its situation, and remains solidly classical. Four steps lead up to an assertive portico, the floor being laid with fine tiles of blue, dark brown, terracotta and oatmeal.

Number 81 – Before the properties on this part of the road were numbered in 1926, this house ws called Gainsborough.

Number 83 – When this house was first built it was called Browston.

Number 85 – The house was originally called Belmont. Alfred Bader (1924-2018) once lived here. He was born in Vienna, and was to become one of the most respected men in the field of chemistry, besides being a philanthropist and having a life-long interest in art collecting and dealing. After Kristallnacht in November 1938 the British government allocated 10,000 visas to Jewish children aged between the ages of twelve and sixteen. In December 1938 Bader was included in the first Kindertransport, and since he was only allowed to take one small suitcase with him, he decided to pack his stamp collection. From Harwich, he went to Dovercourt, a holiday camp near Lowestoft, and afterwards to Westcliff-on-Sea. It was from the latter town that Sidney Scharff collected him, and took him back home to Holland Road, where Mrs Ethel Scharff was all kindness. Bader’s mother had arranged with a distant relative in England that elderly Mrs Wolff should pay the Scharffs one guinea a week for his board and lodging. The Scharffs already had two daughters, Sonia and Diana, besides Otto and Herbert Marx, young Jewish refugees from Westphalia, in the house. Bader attended the Middle Street Synagogue every Saturday, and he had fond memories of Rabbi Fabricant.

In February 1939 he started school at the East Hove Senior School in Connaught Road. He enjoyed his time there and in his autobiography wrote, ‘My respect for the British is based more on my education at that school than on anything else.’ He was astonished to find that boys owned up to their misdemeanours knowing that a caning was in store. In Vienna such honesty would have been considered insane. Elderly Madame Fuller taught Bader French, and Mr Dimberline used to give the boys long lectures about washing behind their ears, and the evils of chewing gum. Soon Bader was made a school prefect, ensuring among other things, that boys did not charge up and down stairs during break time. Another teacher, Mrs Bessie Emanuel, arranged for Bader to go to Brighton Technical College, while headmaster George Ralph gave him a reference stating he had made remarkable progress in his studies and was very honest and trustworthy.

Unlike his fellow residents at Holland Road, the Marx brothers, who received half-a-crown a week each as pocket money, Bader had none. He decided the only way to have some money for himself was to start selling his precious stamp collection to other students. These transactions came to the ears of a stamp dealer with premises in Queen’s Road, Brighton, who reported him to the police. Bader was accused of earning money, contrary to his visa regulations, and he was summoned to appear in court. But before that could happen, he was rounded up as an enemy alien on 12 May 1940 under Churchill’s instructions to ‘collar the lot’. It was just two weeks after his sixteenth birthday, and he was taken to an internment camp at Huyton, near Liverpool. Eventually, he sailed to Canada aboard the Sobieski, classed as a Prisoner of War, second class.

Many years later, and having made his fortune, Alfred and Isabel Bader gave £6,000,000 to Queen’s University, Canada, to buy and renovate Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex, and establish an international study centre there. Herstmonceux had been under offer from people in Japan and the USA, but both deals had fallen through. Savills of London were handling the sale, and had doubts as to whether or not Bader could really afford such a sum of money. Bader told them to check with his bank and Sotheby’s, where he had recently spent £4,000,000 on a Rembrandt. By the time he died in December 2018 aged 94, he had two sons and seven grandchildren.

Number 87 – In 1927 the house was called Melrose.

Numbers 83-115 – In the late 1980s there was considerable opposition to the idea of further flat development in Holland Road. In July 1989 it was stated that property developer Martin Amerera wanted to convert numbers 105-115 into sheltered housing. Hove Council had included Holland Road in their town plan as an area where re-development might take place. But the Planning Inspector, George McDonic, said the council should think again about numbers 83-115 on the east side because ‘these properties are on relatively small plots and, as a group, have a pleasant appearance in the street’. Four of these houses had names as follows:

89 – The Little House

91 – Zeta

93 – Newstead

99 – Essendene

Most of these houses remain to this day. In front of the houses, the roots of the elm trees have pushed up the tarmac of the pavement so that the surface is very uneven.

Number 123 – On 5 May 1910 O. E. d’Avigdor sold the property to Thomas Taverner of 23 Addison Road, Hove, builder for £350. It seems that stables and workshops were already being built on this land at the time of purchase. In 1914 Taverner erected a garage adjacent to his workshops but forgot to apply for planning permissions. However, it was all sorted out and permission was given retrospectively. By the 1920s George Taverner was the occupant. It is interesting to note that there used to be a portrait of an F. Taverner (1802-1870) hanging on the walls of the Farm Tavern in Farm Road. It was there in 1988 but by 2001 it was nowhere to be seen.

Hove Planning Approvals

1889 – Philip Shrapnell for Brighton & Hove Exhibition Buildings. The plan was approved on 18 July, with the stipulation that the temporary building should be removed by 1 April next.

1890 – Z. King for London & County Banking Co, new bank on the corner of Holland Road.

1891 – Land to be purchased ‘for the purpose of Electric Light’.

1892 – H. Goodwin for H. De Lusignan, one house.

1893 – Lainson & Son on behalf of Brighton & Hove Co-operative Supply Association, a warehouse and stabling on the east side (plan no. 1,073)

1893 – S. Denman for E. Scott, one house, west side.

1894 – T. H. Scutt for Mr Moss, additions to the Gymnasium.

1895 – Clayton & Black for Colonel Goff, studio on the east side.

1895 – A. Cresswell for J. Herbert, a pair of semi-detached houses (upper Holland Road). The land was to be purchased from Sir Julian Goldsmid, and Hove Commissioners stated that the building line was 8-ft from the public highway.

1898 – Clayton & Black for Revd D. Davis, shops, institute, and flats on the corner of Church Road (the land at the time being occupied by a conservatory.)

1898 – J. Parsons & Sons for Colonel Goff, alterations to studio.

1905 – Messrs Runtz & Ford for Lewis Wolff, a theatre on the site of the tennis court. The Planning Committee were prepared to recommend the plan to the Council, but not until full plans had been provided. Plan finally approved on 3 August.

1907 – H. W. Saunders for C. Moss, cycle store.

1910 – J. W. F. Elliott for T. Taverner, house, shop and stables, east side.

1911 – Clayton & Black for Messrs Green & Co, factory, west side

1912 – Messrs Gilbert & Constanduros, theatre on north-west side, corner of Lansdowne Road.

1913 – F. Parsons, detached house, west side.

1913 – A. Carden for Lewis Woolf, plan to convert tennis courts into a cinema and concert hall, east side.

1914 – Thomas Taverner erected a garage measuring 17-ft by 12-ft by 11-ft in his yard adjoining his workshop on the east side of Holland Road without planning permission. When the omission was pointed out to him, plans were hastily submitted, and passed in May 1914.

1915 – J. Nutley for Tilling’s, conversion into motor garage (previously tennis courts).

1916 – Thomas Taverner for Linde Refrigeration Company, a shed.

1916 – Edward Carter for Lightfoot Refrigeration Company, ice store.

1919 – Edward Carter for Lightfoot Refrigeration Company, additions to ice factory.

1925 – Clayton & Black for F. Leaver, motor depot at Somerhill Avenue.

1925 – H. S. Tong for G. Taylor, detached house, east side.

1925 – Clayton & Black for F. Leaver, garages, east side.

1926 – Messrs Albery & Lawrence for R. S. Albery, detached house, east side.

1927 – Messrs Penty & Farrar for N. Goodwin, detached house, west side.

1927 – three pairs of detached houses.

Sources

Bader, Alfred Adventures of a Chemist Collector (1995)

Brighton Standard (September 1890)

Census Returns

Dictionary of National Biography

Directories

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Evening Argus

Hove Council Minute Books

Hove Year Book 1907

Middleton, J. A History of Women’s Lives in Hove and Portslade (2018)

Rayner’s 50^th Anniversary 1949-1999 booklet

Sussex Daily News (16 July 1938)

The Keep

ACC 4982/68/35 – Abstract of title to the Goldsmid Estate 1879

ACC 5376/50/1 – Holland Road 1860-1938

01 March 2020

Holland Road, Hove